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UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

BULLETIN No. 641 



OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY 

Contribution from the Office of Farm Management 

W. J. SPILLMAN, Chief 





J&T'&J'U 



Washington, D. C. 



March 4, 1918 



FARM PRACTICE IN THE PRODUCTION OF HAY IN STEUBEN 
COUNTY, N. Y., AND WASHINGTON COUNTY, PA. 

(A detailed study of the amount of labor required per acre and per ton for each 
operation, and the machinery charges per acre and per ton.) 

By H. B. McCliURE, Agriculturist. 



CONTENTS. 



Page. 

Object and scope 1 

Facts brought out ■ 1 

Description of the areas 2 



Page. 

Labor charges for different operations 4 

Machinery charges 12 

Total cost of producing hay 14 



OBJECT AND SCOPE. 

Since hay is very susceptible to damage by bad weather at harvest 
time, and often demands attention when other farm work is pressing, 
the problem of getting haying done with a minimum expenditure of 
time and labor is of great importance to the hay grower. The object 
of this bulletin is to present data that may help the farmer in solving 
this problem. 

The figures on labor and other factors of production given in the 
following pages were obtained in a study of hay production made 
in 1915 on 52 farms in Steuben County, N. Y., and on 37 farms in 
Washington County, Pa. The methods used by hay growers are 
practically the same for both of these sections, so that results for each 
operation are comparable. 1 

FACTS BROUGHT OUT. 

The total items of production, including labor, machinery charges, 
[interest on hay land, taxes, and seed, averaged $5 per ton for the 
New York area and $6.10 for the Pennsylvania area, with an average 
"yield of about one and a half tons per acre. 

1 Acknowledgment is due to Mr. Robert W. Meyer for valuable assistance in the collection of the data 
{discussed in this bulletin. 

18024°— 18 



Monograph 



2 BULLETIN" 641, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 

It was found that the amount of man labor required to produce a 
ton of hay averaged 4.2 hours for the 52 farms studied in the New 
York and 5.23 hours for the 37 farms in the Pennsylvania area. The 
number of hours of horse labor is almost the same as the number of 
man hours, 4.22 per ton for New York and 5 for Pennsylvania. 

About 36 per cent of all hay produced on the New York farms was 
sold, while but 17 per cent from the Pennsylvania area reached the 
market. 

The average life of hay meadows was 3.66 years for the New York 
farms and 4.10 years for the Pennsylvania farms. 

The average farm value of hay on December 1 for a period of 10 
years (1906-1915) was $14.62 per ton for the New York farms and 
$15.14 for the Pennsylvania farms. With a yield of about one and a 
half tons per acre, there is an excess over cost of production of $9.62 
per ton for the New York farms and $9.04 per ton for the Pennsyl- 
vania farms in the farm value of No. 1 hay, which indicates that under 
average conditions hay growing is a profitable farm enterprise in these 

areas. 

DESCRIPTION OF AREAS STUDIED. 

Steuben County, N. Y., is one of the more important hay-producing 
counties in the State. It ranks among the first 10 in total produc- 
tion, both of timothy alone and timothy and clover mixed hay. 

In general the surface in this comity is very uneven, being broken 
by a series of long, rather steep hills and moderately broad valleys. 
The important towns in most cases are connected by good pike roads, 
which are a great asset in marketing farm crops. 

In Washington County, Pa., the hills are of slightly less elevation 
than those in the New York area, though the slopes are steeper. In 
the main, however, the topography is the same with reference to 
facility for making hay. 

SIZE OF FARMS. 

The average size of the farms studied in Pennsylvania was 171 
acres; of the New York farms, 202 acres. (See Table II.) The 
tillable area per farm is about the same in each State, approximately 
156 acres. On the New York farms 35 per cent of the tillable area is 
in hay, as compared to 26 per cent on the Pennsylvania farms. There 
is no apparent reason for this large difference in hay area. Wash- 
ington County is close to the Pittsburgh market, where there is a con- 
stant demand for hay, while the hay from Steuben County must be 
shipped much farther to market — to Buffalo or New York City. 

Table I, compiled from census figures (1910 report), gives statistics 
on the per cent of land in hay for both counties. The per cent of 
tillable area in hay for each county as a whole is lower than that for 
the farms where the records were taken. (Compare with Table II.) 



D. Of D. 

MAR 14 10IO 



<&. 






A 



<i 



FARM PRACTICE IN PRODUCTION OF HAY. 



Table I. — Per cent of farm land in hay and amount of hay produced. 
(From 13th Census Report, 1910.) 



Item 



Land in farms (acres) 

Improved land in farms 

(acres) 

Ter cent of farm land im- 
proved 

Per cent of farm land in tame 

and cultivated hay 

Timothy alone 

Timothy and clover, 
mixed 



Steuben 
Comity, 

n.v. 



Wash- 
ington 
County, 
Pa." 



818,373 

599,303 

73.2 



22.5 
10.3 



503,923 

432,001 

85.6 

17.3 
12.7 

4.3 



Item. 



Steuben 

County, 

X. Y". 



Per cent of improved land in 
tame and cultivated hay . . . 30. 8 

Timothy alone 14.1 

Timothy and clover, 

mixed 16;1 

Production (in tons): 

Tame and cultivated hay. 184, 767 

Timothy alone 84, 3H2 

Timothy and clover, 
mixed 96, 405 



Wash- 
ington 
County, 
Pa. 



20.2 
14.8 



87, 292 
64,014 



Table II.— Size of farm, and per cent of land in hay. 



Item. 



52 farms in 

Steuben 

County, 

N. Y 



Average size of farm (acres) . . . 

Tillable area (acres) 

Per cent of farm land tillable . . 

Land in hay (acres): 

Per cent of total farm land 
Per cent of tillable land. . . 




37 farms in 

Washington 

County, 

Pa. 



171.00 
156. 00 
90.8 

24.1 
26.5 



AMOUNT OF HAY SOLD. 



Four-fifths of the farms studied in the New York area and two- 
thirds of those studied in the Pennsylvania area sell more or less hay. 
As shown in Table III, almost half of the hay grown on the New 
York farms that sold hay is marketed, while only about one-third is 
sold by the Pennsylvania farms that grew for the market. 

Table III. — Amount of hay grown for market. 



Item. 




Washington 

County, 

Pa. 



Number of farms studied 

Number of farms that sell hay 

Per cent of hay sold by farms selling hay 



LABOR RATE. 



On these farms labor is usually at a premium during harvest time. 
In both regions the season in which first-class hay can be made is 
limited to about 10 working days. On nearly all of the farms in 
each section the farm owner works in the hay field, and in this study 
the owners' labor has been given the same value as that of hired help. 
The man-labor rate has been fixed at 20 cents an hour, which is what 
the farmer has to pay during the hay-making season. By assuming 
a single rate for all man labor and not allowing a higher rate for the 



4 BULLETIN 641, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 

owner (though the latter, of course, is also a manager), the results 
obtained show the average labor requirements for each operation. 
Horse labor is fixed at 13 cents an hour. 

LABOR CHARGES FOR DIFFERENT OPERATIONS. 

SEEDING. 

On all the farms studied it is customary either to sow timothy in 
the fall on wheat with clover following in the spring or to sow both 
in the spring with oats, using the grain drill. There is no charge for 
horse labor used, for when seeding is not done by the drill with grain 
it is done by hand, either broadcast or by the use of a mechanical 
seeder, and the seed is sufficiently covered by the spring thaw. 

In the New York area wheelbarrow seeders are used on 17 out of 
the 52 farms and "hand" seeders on 13 farms. The other 22 farms 
sow grass seed and clover in the grain drill with oats. In Pennsyl- 
vania 11 farms use hand seeders and the rest seed broadcast by hand. 
(See Table IV.) 

About the same amount of work can be done per day with each 
method of hand seeding, the average being 16.80 acres for the New 
York farms and 15.50 acres for the Pennsylvania farms. A man can 
seed by hand between 1^ and If acres per hour. The cost oj" labor 
for seeding, spread over the life of the meadow, is 2 cents per ton 
per year in each State. There is a slight variation in the average life 
of the meadows. 

Table IV. — Cost of hand seeding . 



Item. 



Number seeding by hand 

Average life of meadow, including years used for pasture (years). 
Seeded by hand (acres) 

Tons produced 

Hours of man labor: 

Per day 

Per acre 

Per ton 



Amount seeded: 
Per day (acres). 



Per hour (acres) 

Cost of man labor (at 20 cents per hour): 

Per day 

Per acre 

Per hour 

Cost per year during life of meadow and pasture: 

Per acre 

Per ton 



52 farms in 

Steuben 

County, 

N. Y. 



30 
3.66 
1,411 
2.116 

9.43 
.561 
.374 

f 16. 80 

\ (25.20 tons) 

I 1.76 

| \ (2.67 tons) 

$1.88 
.122 
.075 

.030 
.020 



37 farms in 

Washington 

Countv, 

Pa.' 



37 
4.10 
1,411 
2,201 

10.0 
.643 
.412 

15.54 

(24.24 tons) 

1.55 

(2.42 tons) 

82.00 
.128 
.082 

.031 
.020 



AMOUNT OF SEED GROWN. 



The New York farmers visited sow 2.23 pounds less of timothy 
and 0.62 pound more of clover seed per acre than do the Penn- 
sylvania farmers. The initial cost of seed is practically the same in 



FAEM PRACTICE IN PRODUCTION OF HAY. 



both areas, averaging in 1915 about $2.15 per acre and $1.41 per 
ton for the first crop of hay. (See Table V.) 

The average life of the meadow, including years used for pasture, 
is 0.68 year longer for the Pennsylvania farms than for the New 
York farms. The cost of seed per ton per year of meadow life is 7 
cents less for the Pennsylvania group than for the New York group. 

The yield per acre has an important bearing on the /eed cost per 
ton of hay. In the New York area, for example, where the lowest 
yield found on an individual farm was 1 ton per acre, and the highest 
3 tons per acre, the seed cost per ton of hay is $0.62 for the 1-ton- 
per-acre farm, while the seed cost for the 3-ton-per-acre farm is 
only $0.20. 

Table V. — Cost of seed and amount sown in 1915. 



Item. 



Amount of timothy sown, per acre: 

Pounds 

Quarts 

Cost of timothy seed, per acre, at .$3.40 per bushel. 
Amount of clover sown, per acre: 

Pounds • 

Quarts 

Cost of seed, per acre, at $9.25 per bushel 

Cost of timothy and clover seed, per acre 

Cost of seed per year during life of meadow : 

Per acre 

Per ton 



52 farms in 


37 farms in 


Steuben 


Washing- 


County, 


ton County, 


N. Y. 


Pa. • 


8.27 


10.50 


5.88 


7.47 


$0,625 


$0. 793 


9.71 


9.09 


5.19 


4.85 


$1,496 


$1,401 


$2. 121 


$2. 194 


$0. 620 


$0. 535 


.414 


.343 



MOWING. 



In the New York area the 5-foot mower is used almost exclusively. 
Only a few 6-foot mowers and no 7-foot mowers are used. In the 
Pennsylvania area the 6-foot mower predominates, though a few 
7-foot machines are used. The hay cut per hour, however, is about 
the same for each State, averaging 1 ton. The acreage grown per 
farm in the New York group is about two-thirds more than the 
average per farm in the Pennsylvania group. In Pennsylvania, 
while a larger mower is used, the fields are smaller, which necessitates 
more waste time in mowing. Another factor that would tend to 
decrease the amount mowed per hour in Pennsylvania is that the 
surface is more broken. The hills are steeper in general than in New 
York, where the topography is more gently sloping. The cost per 
ton for labor for mowing is about 28 cents in each case. (See 
Table VI.) 



BULLETIN 641, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
Table VI. — Cost of mowing. 



Item. 



Amount produced per year (tons) 

Yield per acre (tons) 

Width of mower (feet) 

Man labor: \ 

Hay mowed per day (tons) 

Hay mowed per hour (tons) 

Hours of labor— 

Per day 

Per acre 

Per ton 

Cost of man labor, at 20 cents per hour— 

Per day 

Per acre 

Per ton 

Horse labor: 

Hours of labor — 

Per day 

Per acre 

Per ton 

Cost of horse labor, at 13 cents per hour — 

Per day 

Per acre 

Per ton 

Cost of man and horse labor: 

Per day 

Per acre 

Per ton 



>2 farms in 
Steuben 
County, 

n. y. 



a 4,047 
1.50 
5.14 

(•13.410 

« 1,604 

8.36 

.935 
.622 

$1.67 

$0. 1S7 
$0. 124 



16.72 
1.870 
1.246 

$2.17 
.243 
.162 

$3.84 
.430 
. 286 



37 farms in 

Washington 

Count v, 

Pa.' 



6 2,201 
1.56 
5.92 

d 16. Kin 
I 1.685 

9.73 
. 925 
. 593 

$1.94 
$0. 185 

$0. IIS 



19. 46 
1.850 
1.186 

$2.53 

.240 
. 154 

$4.47 
. 125 



a 2,698 acres. b 1,411 acres. 8.940 acres. <* 10.510 acres. 

TEDDING. 



1.070 acres. 



/ l.oso acres 



The tedder is used on over half of the farms in both States. The 
acreage tedded per hour averages 1.62 acres for the New York group 
and 1.28 for the Pennsylvania group. The average width of tedders 
used on the New York farms is 1.9 feet more than the average for 
those used by the Pennsylvania farms, which would account for the 
fact that 0.3 acre more work is done per hour in New York than in 
Pennsylvania. (See Table VII.) 

The acreage of hay actually tedded per year is probably less than 
the figures would indicate, for when weather conditions are favorable 
it is not necessary to ted all of the hay unless the crop is heavy. On 
the farms using tedders, however, it was assumed in this study that 
all hay was tedded. The cost per ton for tedding is 19 cents for the 
New York group and 23 cents for the Pennsylvania group. 

Table VII. — Cost of tedding. 



Item. 



Number of farms using tedder 

Amount tedded per year (total tons) . 

Yield per acre (tons) 

Width of tedder (feet) 

Man labor: 

Hay tedded per day (tons) 

Hay tedded per hour (tons) 

Hours of labor — 

Per day 

Per acre 

Per ton 



.52 farms in 
Steuben 
County, 

x. V. 



29 
a 2, 191 
1.50 
8. 76 

c is. 10 
e 2. 43 

7.45 
.617 
.441 



37 farms in 

Washington 

County, 

Pa. 



21 

6 1,444 

1.56 

6.85 

d 19. 75 
I 1.99 

9.90 
.782 
501 



a 1,461 acres. '< 92H acres. 



12.07 acres. 



>i 12.66 acres. 



• l.2s acres 



FARM PRACTICE IX PRODUCTION OF HAY. 



Table VII. — Cost of tedding— < 'onl inued. 



Item. 


52 farms in 

Steuben 

County, 

N. Y. 


37 farms in 
Washington 

Countv, 
Pa." 


Man labor — Continued. 

Cost of man labor, at 20 cents per hour — 


$1.49 
.123 
.082 

14.90 
1.234 
.822 

$1.93 
.160 
.107 

■S3. 42 
.283 
.189 


$1.98 




.156 




.100 


Horse labor: 

Hours of labor — 


19.80 




1.560 




1.001 


Cost of horse labor, at 13 cents per hour — 


$2.57 




.202 




.130 


Cost of man and horse labor: 


$4.55 




.358 




.230 







RAKING. 

The common two-horse dump rake is generally used by the farmers 
of both groups. Both the side-delivery rake and side-delivery tedder 
are used to a certain extent. Neither bunching nor gleaning is prac- 
ticed, except by a few farmers. (See Table VIII.) 

Wider rakes, by 0.18 foot, are used in the New York farms than 
on the Pennsylvania farms. The amount of hay raked per hour is 
about 2.3 acres for New York and 2.0 acres for Pennsylvania. The 
cost of labor per ton for raking is 13 cents for New York and 15 cents 
for Pennsylvania. 

The cost of raking is one factor in haymaking costs that can some- 
times be reduced materially by using a boy to operate the rake. 

Table VIII. — Cost of raking . 



Item. 



Number of farms using rake 

Yield per acre (tons) 

Width of rake (feet) 

Man labor: 

Hay raked per day (tons ) 

Hay raked per hoiir (tons) 

Hours of labor — 

Per day 

Per acre 

Per ton 

Cost of man labor, at 20 cents per hour — 

Per day 

Per acre 

Per ton 

Horse labor: 

Hours of labor— 

Per day 

Per acre 

Per ton 

Cost of horse labor, at 13 cents per hour — 

Per day 

Per acre 

Per ton 

Cost of man and horse labor: 

Per day 

Per acre 

Per ton 

a 17.30 acres. i> 15. 65 acres. <• 2.295 acres 



52 farms in 

Steuben 

County, 

N.Y. 



52 
1.50 
10.83 

i 25. 95 
< 3. 442 

7.54 
.436 
.290 

$1.51 
.087 
.058 



15. 08 

.872 
.580 

$1.96 
.113 
.075 

$3.47 
.200 
.133 



■'1.930 acres. 



37 farms in 
Washing- 
ton County, 
Pa. 



37 
1.56 
10.65 

(>24.42 
d 3. 010 

8.11 
.518 
.332 

$1.62 
.103 
.066 



16.22 
1.036 
.664 

$2.10 
.134 
.085 

$3. 72 
.237 
.151 



8 BULLETIN 641, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 

LOADING, HAULING, AND PUTTING HAY INTO THE BARN. 

The crew most generally used in the New York area is one of four 
men and two horses. On the 52 New York farms there were found 
30 four-man crews, 13 three-man crews, 7 two-man crews, 1 eight- 
man crew, and 1 six-man crew. Small crews do not as a rule keep 
any horse or team at the barn, the team used for hauling being also 
used for hoisting. (See figs. 1 and 2.) 

In the cases of about half of the four-man crews one man remains 
at the barn to drive the team on the hay fork while unloading, and 
does nothing at other times. In such cases the fourth man is usually 
an old man or boy unable to work at loading. The four-man arrange- 
ment allows two men to work in the mow, enough to put the hay away 
in good shape. 



Fig. 1.— Hay loader in operation. The loader saves time and puts hay on the wagon more cheaply than 

it can be pitched by hand. 

When six, seven, or more men are used, there is a barn crew of from 
three to four who do all of the unloading, the driver unhitching from 
the load when reaching the barn and taking an empty wagon back to 
the field. The two-man crew allows one man to work in the mow 
and one to stick the hay fork and drive the hoisting team. 

In the Pennsylvania area there were found 4 four-man crews, 27 
three-man crews, 1 two-man crew, 3 seven-man crews, and 2 six-man 
crews. (See Table IX.) 

The amount of hay handled per crew per hour is about 1.50 tons 
for the New York group and 1 for the Penns} r lvania group, at a cost 
of 69 cents and 06 cents, respectively. 



FARM PRACTICE IN PRODUCTION OF HAY. 









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Fig. 2. — Unloading hay at the barn with horse power. This method is much more rapid than unload- 
ing by hand, and horses do the hard part of the work. 

Table IX. — Cost of bringing hay from the field and putting into barn. 



Hem. 



Amount produced per year ("I cms i 

Yield per acre (tons ) . . .' 

Average number of men in crew 

Man labor: 

Hay handled per day (tons'" 

Hay handled per hour (tons) 

Hours of labor per day 

Man hours — 

Per day 

Per acre 

Per ton 

Cost of man labor, at 20 cents per hour— 

Per day 

Per acre 

Per ton 

Horse labor: 

Average number of horses used 

Hours of horse labor — 

Per day 

Per acre 

Per ton 

Cost of horse labor, at 13 cents per hour- 

Per day 

Per acre 

Per ton 

Cost of man and horse labor: 

Per day 

Per acre 

Per ton 



52 farms in 

Steuben 

County, 

X. Y. 



a 1,047 
1.50 
3.66 

oil. 970 

el. 180 

8. 09 

29. 65 
3.715 

2. 475 

$5. 93 
.743 
.495 

2. 23 

IS. 17 
2.275 
1.516 

82. 36 

. 295 
.197 

18.29 
1.038 

.692 



37 farms in 
Washing- 
ton County, 
fa. • 



6 2, 201 
1.56 
3.57 

('9.375 

I 1.080 

8.67 

31.86 
5.300 
3.400 

86. 37 

1.060 
.680 



20.11 
3. 346 

2. 145 

82.61 

.27!! 

88.98 
1.495 
. 959 



a 2,988 acres. 

b 1,411 acres. 



c 7. liso acres. 
d6.010 acres. 



e0.968acre. 
/ 0.693 acre. 



10 BULLETIN 641, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 

LENGTH OF WORKING DAY AND WORK ACCOMPLISHED. 

The hours of labor and amount of work done for each of the haying 
operations on the farms studied is shown in Table X. 

Table X. — Hows of work per day and amount accomplished in hay-making operations. 



' >peration. 



52 farms in Steuben County, N. Y. 



37 farms in Washington County, Pa. 



Seeding by hand 

Mowing. 

Tedding 

Raking 

Loading, hauling, and 
putting into barn 



Farms 
report- 
ing each 
opera- 
tion. 



Hours 

worked 

per day 

per 

man. 



9.43 
8.36 
7.45 
7.54 



Hours 

worked 

per day 

per 

horse. 



16.72 
14.90 
15. 08 



Amount of 

hay handled 

per day. 



Acres. Tons. 



16.80 
8.94 
12.07 
17. 30 



13.41 
IS. 10 
25. 95 

11.97 



Farms 
report- 
ing each 
opera- 
tion. 



Hours Hours 

worked worked 

per day per day 

per I per 

man. ! horse. 



10. 00 
9. 73 
9.90 
8.11 



19. 46 

19.80 
16.22 



8.67 20.11 



Amount of 

hay handled 

per day. 



Acres. Tons 



15.54 
10.51 
12.66 
15.65 

6.01 



16. 40 
19.75 
24.42 

9.37 



WORK ACCOMPLISHED PER HOUR. 

The work accomplished per hour, under average conditions, is 
shown in Table XI. For all farms studied the average per hour for 
seeding is 1.66 acres; for mowing, 1.07 acres; for tedding, 1.45 acres: 
for raking, 2.65 acres; and for loading, hauling, and putting into the 
barn, 3.61 tons. The operation of loading, hauling, and putting into 
barn is performed by three men or four men, depending upon the 
length of haul and the adaptability and efficiency of the men. 

TaJ)le XI may be of some assistance to those who wish to make 
plans for harvesting hay, acreage and length of working day being 
known : 

Table XI. — Amount of hay handled per hour. 



( >peration. 



Seeding 

Mowing 

Tedding 

Kaking 

Loading, haul- 
ing, and put- 
ting into bam 



52 farms in Steuben County, N. Y. 



37 farms in Washington County, 1'a. 



Farms 
report- 
ing each 

opera- 
tion. 



Width 

(feet). 



Num- 
ber of 
men. 



5. 14 
8. 76 
10. S3 



Num- 
ber of 

horses. 



2.23 



Acres. 



1.780 
1.070 
1. 620 
2. 295 



Tons. 



1.004 

2. 430 

3. 4 12 



1.480 



Farms 
report- 
ing each 
opera- 
tion. 



Width 

(feet). 



5.92 

li. N5 

10. 65 



Num- 
ber of 
men. 



Num- 
ber of 

horses. 



1.550 
1.080 

1.2S0 
1.930 



Tons. 



1.685 

1.990 
3. 010 



PARM PRACTICE IN PRODUCTION OP HAY. 
AMOUNT OP LABOR REQUIRED PER ACRE AND PER TON. 



11 



The amount of labor required per acre and per ton on the farms 
studied is shown in Table XII : 



Table XII. — Labor required per acre and per ton for different operations. 

MEN. 



Operation. 



Seeding by hand a 

Mowing. ." 

Tedding 

Raking 

Loading, unloading and putting 
into barn 



52 farms in Steuben County, N. Y. 



Farms 
reporting 

each 
operation. 



Total. 



Num- 
ber of 
men. 



Man-hours. 



Per 
acre. 



0. 561 
.935 
.617 
.436 

3.715 



li. 264 



Per 
ton. 



Farms 
reporting 

each 
operation. 



0.622 
.441 
.290 



4. 202 



37 farms in Washington County , Pa. 



Num- 
ber of 
men. 



Man-hours. 



Per 
acre. 



0.643 
.925 
.782 
.518 



3.57 5.300 



8.168 



Per 

ton. 



0.593 
.501 
. 332 



a Actual amount of labor required t o seed an acre and not prorat ed for life of meadow. 

HORSES. 



Operation. 



Horse-hours. 
Farms Num- _ 
reporting! ber of | 

each I horses. Per 
operation. I acre. 



Per 
ton. 



Farms 
reporting 

each 
operation 



Num- 
ber of 
horses; 



Horse-hours. 



Per 
acre. 



Per 

ton. 



Mowing 

Tedding 

Raking 

Loading, unloading, and putting 
into barn 



1.870 

1.234 

.872 



Total. 



1.246 

.882 
.580 



1.850 
1.560 
1.036 



2.23 ! 2.275 1.516 



1.186 

1.001 

.664 

2.145 



6. 251 4. 224 



7.792 



COMPARISON OF LABOR COSTS FOR DIFFERENT OPERATIONS. 

The cost of man and horse labor for the different operations is 
shown in Table XIII. The total labor cost per ton for the New York 
group is $1.31, and for the Pennsylvania group, $1.63. The differ- 
ence in cost is due almost entirely to the cost of loading, hauling, and 
putting into the barn, which is 32 cents higher in Pennsylvania than 
in New York. The costs for other operations show only very slight 
differences. 



12 



BULLETIN 641, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



Taule XIII. — Cost of man labor and of horse labor per acre and per ton for different 

operations. 

MAN LABOR. 





52 farms 


in Steuben County, 
N. Y. 


37 farms in Washington Coun- 
ty, Pa. 


Operation. 


Farms. 


Cost. 


Farms. 


Cost. 




Per acre. 


Per ton. 


Per acre. 


Per ton. 


Seeding bv hand a 


30 
52 
29 
52 

52 


$0. 030 
.187 
.123 
.087 

.743 


SO. 020 
.124 
.082 
.058 

.495 


37 
37 
21 
37 

37 


$0. 031 
.185 
.156 
.103 

1.060 


$0,020 
.118 




.100 




.066 


Loading, unloading, and putting into the 


.680 






Total 




1.170 


.779 




1,535 


.984 











i Cost during life of meadow. 
HORSE LABOR. 





52 
29 
52 
52 


SO. 243 
.160 
.113 
.295 


SO. 162 
.107 
.075 
.197 


37 
21 
37 
37 


$0. 240 
.202 
.134 
.435 


$0. 154 


Tedding 


.130 




.085 


Loading, hauling, and putting into barn 


.279 


Total 




.811 


.541 


! 1.011 


.648 




.... 




Cost of man and horse labor 




1.981 


1.310 




2.546 


1.632 



MACHINERY CHARGES. 

Haying machinery is used but a few days per year on these farms. 
When ordinary care is used in operating machinery, the cost of re- 
pairs is but a small portion of the total cost of production. Machinery 
charges include repairs, interest, and depreciation or replacement, 
but not the value of labor in making repairs, regarding which it was 
not possible to get accurate data. However, this item is not im- 
portant. 

Interest on machinery, in most cases, equals the cost of repairs. 
It has been figured at 5 per cent, which is the prevailing rate in each 
region. (See Table XIV.) 

Table XIV. — Repairs, interest, and depreciation on hay machinery. 

REPAIRS. 





52 farms in Steuben County. N. Y. 


37 farms in Washington County, Pa. 


Kind of 


Farms 
report- 
ing. 


Cost. 


Farms 
report- 
ing. 


Cost. 




Per 

day 
used. 


Per 

year. 


Total 
for 
life. 


Per 
acre. 


Per 
ton. 


Per 
day 

used. 


Per 

year. 


Total 
for 
life. 


Per 
acre. 


Per 
ton. 




30 
52 

29 
52 






















$0,295 

.us 

.226 


$1. 52 
.60 
.64 


$16. 19 
10.24 
11.26 


SO. 033 
.012 
. 013 


SO. 022 
.008 
.008 


37 
21 
37 


$0. 328 
.140 

.lis 


SI. 190 
.488 
.289 


S17. 20 
11.84 

7.28 


$0. 031 

.011 
.007 


$0. 020 
.007 
.004 







FARM PRACTICE IN PRODUCTION OF HAY. 13 

Table XIV. — Repairs, interest, arid depreciation on hay machinery — Continued. 

INTEREST. 





52 farms in Steuben County, N. Y. 


37 farms in Washington County, Pa. 


Kind of 


Farms 
report- 
ing. 


Cost. 


Fajms 
report- 
ing. 


Cost. 




Per 

day 
used. 


Per 
year. 


Total 
for 
life. 


Per i Per 
acre. ton. 


Per 
day 
used. 


Per 
year. 


Total 
for 
life. 


Per 
acre. 


Par 
ton. 


Hand seeders. 

\\ her .barrow 

seeders 


17 

13 

52 
29 

52 


SO. 05S 

.340 
.235 
.204 
.222 


SO. 052 

.271 
1.200 
.819 
.629 


$1.02 

4.75 
12.78 
14.07 
11.08 


$0. 004 

.019 
.027 
.017 
.013 


$0. 003 

.012 
.018 
.011 
.008 


11 


SO. 091 


$0. 051 


$1.05 


SO. 006 


$0,004 


Tedders 


37 
21 

37 


.315 

.226 
.310 


1.141 

.784 
.757 


16.51 
19.03 
19.07 


.030 
.017 
.019 


.019 
.011 
012 











REPAIRS 


INTEREST, 


AND 


DEPRECIATION. 








Hand seeders. 

Wheelbarrow 
seeders 


17 

13 

52 
29 
52 


$0. 172 

1.078 
1. 330 
.805 
.927 


$0, 155 

.86 
6.83 
3.25 
2.62 


$3.02 

15. 05 
72. 83 
55. 45 
46.20 


$0. 011 

.061 
.148 
.066 
.053 


$0. 007 

.040 

.099 
.044 
.035 


11 


$0. 262 


SO. 146 


$3. 00 


$0. 017 


$0. 011 


Mowers 

n, edders 


37 
21 
37 


1.450 
.711 
.903 


5.280 
2.470 
2.200 


76.46 
61. 02 
55.48 


.138 
.0.-6 
.057 


.088 
.036 
.037 







WORK DONE BY MACHINERY. 

Table XV shows the amount of work done by machinery in acres 
and in tons per day, per year, and during its life. On the Pennsyl- 
vania farms, mowers, tedders, and rakes cover a greater acreage 
during life than they do on the New York farms. 

Table XV. — Service rendered by machinery. 

52 FARMS IN STEUBEN COUNTY, N. Y. 





Farms 
report- 
ing. 


Width of 
machine. 


Amount of hay handled. 


Kind of machine. 


Per day. 


Per 


year. 


Total during 
life- 




Acres. 


Tons. 


Acres. 


Tons. 


Acres. 


Tons. 


Hand seeders 


17 
13 
52 
29 
52 


Feet. 


15.53 
17.69 
8.94 
12.07 
17. 30 


26. 53 
13. 41 
18. 10 
25.95 


13.99 
14.11 
46.10 
48.65 
49.00 


21.16 
69. 15 

82.97 J 
73. 50 1 


271. 20 
247. 00 
490. 00 
831.00 
862. 00 


406. SO 






370. 50 




5.14 

8.76 
10.82 


735. 00 


Tedders 

Rakes 


1,247.00 
1,293.60 





37 FARMS IN 


WASHINGTON COUNTY, PA. 










11 




15. 00 




8.37 




171. 00 


273. 20 


Wheelbarrow seeders 








37 
21 
37 


5.92 
6. 85 
10. 65 


10.51 
12.66 
15. 65 


16.40 
19.75 
24.42 


38.13 
44. 10 
38.14 


59. .".o 
68.80 
59. 50 


551.00 

1,(170.(10 
961. 00 


859. 50 


Tedders . 


1,670.00 


Rakes 


1, 498. 00 



LIFE OF MACHINERY. 



Table XVI shows the service rendered by machinery in da} T s used, 
per year and for its life. Mowers are used about the same number 
of days in each region. Tedders are used 16 more days and rakes 



14 



BULLETIN 641, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



11 more days on the Pennsylvania farms than on the New York 
farms. All haying machinery is well taken care of in both sections. 
The practice of allowing machinery to stand out of doors, customarv 
in some parts of the middle west, is not common in the east. 

Table XVI. — Life of machinery and number of days used. 





52 farina in Steuben County, i 37 farms in Washington County 
X. V. Pa. 


Kind of machine. 


Farms 
report- 
ing. 


Days 
used 
per 
year. 


Years' 
service. 


Days 

use'd 

during 

Ufe. 


Farms 
report- 
ing. 


Days 
used 
per 
year. 


Years' 
service. 


Days 

used 

during 

life. 




17 
13 
52 
29 
52 


0.904 
.797 
5.150 
4. 030 
2.830 


19.40 
17.50 
10. 65 
17.07 
17.60 


17.52 
13.96 
54.80 

68.85 
49.80 


11 


0.557 


20.25 


11.45 








37 
21 
37 


3. 620 
3. 480 
2.430 


14.46 
24.28 
25.20 


52 42 




S4 50 




61.40 







In Table XVII are shown comparative figures on interest and 
taxes on hay land for the two regions : 

Table XVII. — Interest and taxes on hay land. 



Item. 



52 farms in Steuben 
County, N. Y. 



Per acre. Per ton 



37 farms in Wash- 
ington County, 
Pa. 



Per acre. Per ton. 



Average value of entire farm 

Average value of hay land 

Interest on hay land at 5 per cent 

Taxes on hay land 

Interest and taxes 



$55. 35 

80.10 

4.00 

.801 

4. 801 



$2. 670 

.534 

3. 204 



S72.84 

105.40 

5.27 

1.054 

6.324 



$3,380 

.675 
4.055 



TOTAL COST OF PRODUCING HAY. 

In Table XVIII is given a summary of the cost of all labor, of 
machinery charges, seed cost, taxes, and interest on hay land. This 
amounts to $5 per ton for the New York farms and $6.10 for the 
Pennsylvania farms. This cost is obtained by prorating the cost of 
seeding, tedding, etc., to cover the total hay area surveyed in each 
section. 1 

Table XIX presents the cost of producing hay on farms where there 
is a charge for seeding and tedding. The cost of these operations, 
machinery charges, seed cost, taxes, and interest on land, amount to 
$7,704 per acre and $5,154 per ton for the New York and $9,673 per 
acre and $6,202 per ton for the Pennsylvania group. 

On farms where hay is not seeded with a grain crop, but where 
the seed bed is prepared especially, there will be an additional labor 
charge of perhaps from 75 cents to $1 per acre per year, depending 
upon the life of the meadow. 



1 Commercial fertilizers are used very little in the areas studied, and not at all on the hay crop. Hence 
there is no charge for fertilizers. 



FARM PRACTICE IN PRODUCTION OF HAY. 



15 



Table XVIII. — Cost of man and horse labor, repairs, interest, and depreciation on 

machinery for haying operations. 





52 farms in Steuben Count 


r,N.Y. 


37 farms 


in Washington County, 
Pa. 


Operation. 


Farms 
report- 
ing each 
opera- 
tion. 


Cost. 


Farms 
report- 
ing each 
opera- 
tion. 


Cost. 




Per 
day. 


Per 
acre. 


Per 
ton. 


Per 
day. 


Per 

acre. 


Per 
ton. 


Seeding with hand seeder 

Seeding with wheelbarrow seeder. 
Average for seeding 


17 
13 
30 

52 
29 
52 

52 


$2. 052 
2. 95,8 
2.553 
5.170 


$0. 041 
.091 
.065 

.578 


$0. 027 
.060 
.042 
.385 
.233 
.168 

.692 
1. 520 


11 


$2.26 


$0. 048 


$0,031 


11 

37 
21 
37 

37 


2.26 
5.920 
5.261 
4.623 

8.980 
27. 024 


.048 
.563 
.414 
.294 

1.495 
2.814 


.031 
.360 




4.225 , .349 
4.397 i .253 


.266 




.188 


Loading, hauling, and putting 


8.290 
24. 635 


1.038 
2.283 


.959 




1.804 











Table XIX. — Actual cost of producing 4,047 tons of hag on 52 farms in Steuben County, 
N. Y., and 2,201 tons on SI 'farms in Washington County, Pa. 





Cost of man and horse labor, repairs, interest, 
and depreciation on machinery. 


item of cost. 


52 farms in Steuben 
County, N. Y. 


37 farms in Washington 
County, Pa. 




Per acre. 


Per ton. 


Per acre. 


Per ton. 












80. 031 

.578 
.181 
.253 
1.038 
.012 


$0. 021 
.385 
.121 
.168 
.692 
.008 


$0. 035 
.563 
.270 
.294 
1. 495 


$0. 022 




.360 


Tedding.. . . 


.173 




.188 




.959 


Repairs, interest, and depreciation on hay loaders 










Seed 


2. 093 

.620 

4.801 


1. 395 

.430 

3.204 


2. 657 

.533 

6.324 


1.702 

.343 




4. 055 








Total .' 


7.514 i 5.002 


9.516 1 6.100 













COST OF BALING HAY. 

Only a small per cent of the hay producers in the areas surveyed 
own their own hay presses. Most of the market hay is baled by the 
country buyer and shipper, or else by custom balers. The customary 
price for baling is $1.50 per ton, and often the hay grower is expected 
to furnish one or two pitchers and board the press crew of three or 
four men. With the ordinary crew this brings the cost of pressing 
up to about $2 per ton. 1 

COST OF HAULING TO MARKET. 

It is almost impossible to determine the average cost of hauling 
hay to market without making special time studies, since hay is 
marketed in quantities varying from a ton to a carload. This opera- 
tion is usually performed by farm man labor and horse labor, and 
not by those making a business of hauling, as is the case in the 
Middle West, where hay is grown on a more extensive scale. The 

1 Considerable information secured in this study on the management of baling crews and the cost of 
baling will be published in other bulletins. 



iwmtniHiiP' 

021 486 335 2 



16 



BULLETIN 641, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



condition of the roads has a decided influence on the cost, as bad 
roads make it impossible to haul a full load and necessitate a longer 
time per trip. 

From the report of 25 farmers in the New York area it was found 
that the average distance to market was 3 miles and the cost of 
hauling 70 cents per ton. 

Table XX. — Labor cost per ton when the yield varies. {52 farms in Steuben 



-Labor cost per ton ivhen the yield varies. 
County, N. Y.) 



Operation. 



Labor cost r cr ton when 
yield is— 



3 tons per 1.50 tons 1 ton per 
acre. per acre. acre. 



Seeding.. 
Mowing. 
Tedding. 



Raking. 

Loading, hauling, and unloading . 

Total 



$0. 021 
.192 
.116 
.084 



SO. 042 
.385 
.233 
.168 
.692 



SO. 063 
.577 
.349 
.252 
.692 



1.105 



1.520 



1.933 




Fig. 3. — A good stand of timothy and clover, yielding over two tons per acre. The cost of production 
decreases and profits increase as the yield per acre increases. 

EFFECT OF YIELD ON THE COST OF LABOR PER TON. 

The cost of labor per ton is directly affected by yield in seeding, 
mowing, tedding, and raking, since the amount of work accomplished 
per hour in these operations is nearly the same for a light yield as 
for a heavy one. Even the cost of loading by hand, hauling, and 
putting into the barn is but slightly affected by variation in yield. 

For the purpose of illustrating the effect of yield upon labor cost 
per ton Table XX has been prepared, based on the cost in the New 
York area, where the yield is 1.50 tons per acre. It wall be seen that 
the labor cost per ton decreases as the yield increases, the cost with 
a 1-ton yield being almost double the cost with a 3-ton yield. (See 
hg. 3.) ' 

WASHINGTON : GOVEENMBNT PRINTING OFFICE : 1918 



Eb» 




> 



